BWDP rehearsing in its new space in the Dallas Design District. Photo: Sharon Bradford – The Dancing Image

Dallas – Bruce Wood Dance Project. TITAS. Dallas DanceFest. Dance Planet. These are just a few of the high profile dance organizations and events that Dallas arts patron Gayle Halperin has helped cultivate. Last year alone, Halperin steered the committee for the inaugural Dallas DanceFest while also continuing on with the Bruce Wood Dance Project’s (BWDP) fourth season after the loss of its founder a few weeks prior to the company’s June performance. Halperin’s drive and intuition when it comes to the needs of the local dance community led to her being featured in TheaterJones’ first Forward Thinker Series in December 2014. Halperin’s most recent contribution to the dance community not only gives BWDP a stable home, but also provides dance groups in the area with a more affordable option when looking for rehearsal and performance space.

“My dream has always been to have a rehearsal space that transforms into a minimal black box theater that can be used for small studio performances,” Halperin says. “I like a space that can only fit about 80 to 100 people and has minimal lighting and good sound, but without all the fancy trimmings.”

Halperin is turning this dream into a reality with the Bruce Wood Dance Gallery. Located at the corner of Howell St. and Levee St. in the Design District, the Bruce Wood Dance Gallery occupies approximately 6,000 square feet of the 12,000-square-foot white brick building. Right now BWDP is only using half of the space while the other half is being finished. The second space only became available for lease this past winter. Halperin says she hopes to have the company rehearsing in the second space, which is 400 feet bigger, by the end of the summer. BWDP’s current space features sprung flooring, high ceilings, a break area and plenty of natural light. “We ended up going with this location because it had high ceilings, no poles and didn’t need a lot of finishing up. We saw a lot of spaces, and it was quite difficult to find a space that only needed minimal repair. We were fortunate to find this corner property in the Design District.”

Photo: Robert Hart

The process of finding a rehearsal space started more than a year ago, Halperin says, when Wood decided he wanted the company to start rehearsing during the day, Monday through Friday. “We always knew that if the company was going to go anywhere that it needed its own space. So, last year when Bruce announced that the company wasn’t going to rehearse in the evenings anymore I made that commitment to him to find a place for the company to rehearse.” She adds, “Bruce always said that’s how he worked when he had the Bruce Wood Dance Company. You have to work every day in order for the company to develop a cohesive style and to be challenged to become stronger.”

The company didn’t move into the Bruce Wood Dance Gallery till July 2014; one month after Wood’s passing. And even through Halperin’s name is on the lease she says the whole project has been a huge team effort. She credits BWDP’s Administrative Assistant Rebecca Butler for finding the space and board treasurer Danny Curry for masterminding the construction of the sprung flooring. “This was leap of faith, but Bruce made a huge impact on me so it’s all worth it.”

After launching the Dallas DanceFest and positioning Bruce Wood Dance Project for its future following Wood’s death, Gayle Halperin is a major force in the dance scene’s growth.

When Gayle Halperin comes up with an idea that could benefit the Dallas dance scene, it is full steam ahead, regardless of the budgetary and timeline pressures associated with producing a large event such as the new Dallas DanceFest, or the personal challenges that can arise from continuing the legacy of the Bruce Wood Dance Project after the passing of choreographer Bruce Wood last May. While Halperin is quick to credit her “village of supporters, patrons and passionate dance lovers, it is clear that she is nonetheless an invaluable part of the local dance community, with her arts organization knowledge, list of contacts and passion for the dance art form.

Halperin’s intuitive sense of the community’s needs are why so many of the programs she has championed over the last couple of years have met with such success. “Looking back, my first project was Dance Planet and expanding exposure of dance at the community level—bringing all styles together at one venue. Then TITAS made living in Dallas manageable for me by bringing in nationally and internationally acclaimed dance companies. Then, I kept taking on more and more roles at the Dance Council of North Texas.”

Most recently Halperin steered the committee within The Dance Council of North Texas to create the Dallas DanceFest that took place in August at the Dallas City Performance Hall. With the number of artists living and working in the area growing and the exquisite Arts District at their disposal, Halperin saw a unique opportunity and pounced on it. “I was blown away and overwhelmed with the whole event. Each day was an amazing experience—shows had such a great variety of high caliber dance—all the dance companies were at the top of their game. Each show was inspiring and as excellent as the one before. The audiences embraced the variety and were enthusiastic.”

Halperin also has close ties with the Bruce Wood Dance Project (BWDP) since it was she who approached Wood about restarting the group and moving it to Dallas in 2011. After Wood died unexpectedly in May, some in the arts community questioned whether the company could sustain itself. Thanks to Halperin’s and the other board members’ quick thinking the BWDP’s September performance went on as planned. “I was following my instinct. He taught me so much about courage, drive, passion, responsibility, work, and more. I could feel it in my bones that B. would want us to keep going. It’s been not easy going forward without him. Not easy at all. But as artists we know how to be flexible, how to problem solve, and so we continue. Bruce lives on through his choreography, aesthetic, teaching, and dancers. Continuing onward is the best way to celebrate his life.”

Halperin’s ultimate legacy may be succeeding in her goal of making Dallas a “dance destination” in the same vein as New York, Los Angeles, Miami or Chicago. The development of new local performance opportunities, and paying jobs, through projects and events such as those Halperin has helped spearhead are going a long way in helping artists make Dallas home rather than just another stop on a performance tour.